Traditionally Innovative
by Raw Garlic
Summary: Shuri thrived off of innovation. It was the adrenaline rush, the euphoric high that made her feel valuable. M'Baku revered tradition. It was a firm foundation, a map that made him feel secure. When a treaty becomes a possibility, can innovation and tradition learn from each other to create something new? Or will these values have to remain at an impasse forever?
1. Chapter 1

Tradition & Innovation

Churi looked up from her table. Surely she had heard wrong.

"I'm sorry?"

T'Challa was exiting the lab.

"I've convinced Lord M'baku to take some samples of our technology back to J'bhari land."

"Yes, but what was the part involving me?"

"You will be M'baku's technical support."

Churi's jaw dropped.

"Is that helmet cutting off the air to your brain? On challenge day, he vehemently opposed my inventions. All our citizens know how our technology works. Anyone can teach him. Why must I do it?"

"If M'Baku can see the benefits of our technology, then there is a higher probability that the J'bhari will assimilate more into Wakanda. Every day you create new solutions for our nation's problems. M'baku and the J'bhari damaged relationship with the other tribes is our nation's problem. For you? This will be a piece of cake."

"They walked away from Wakanda centuries ago. They made their hut let them be imprisoned by it!"

"Churi, don't be like that. Our nation needs you. I need you to do this for me. Not as an engineer, but as a favor to your big brother. What is the cause of all this apprehension? You're not fearful that he will attack as a way to hurt me, are you?"

Churi remained silent.

T'Challa sighed.

Your reasoning is not entirely illogical, but let me pose a few questions to you first. First question: Did he harm mother when she stayed in J'bhari land?"

Churi cut her eyes away from her brother's gaze.

"No."

"Correct, he did not. He could have used her as a bargaining chip against me, but he didn't. This shows us that he is a protector. Next question: Did he order his fisherman to throw me back into the river so that I could join the ancestral plane for eternity?"

"...No."

"This girl's so smart! Correct, again. He did not. He could have ordered his men to speed up my death, but instead he made sure that I stayed alive long enough for some miracle to happen. This shows us that he is honorable. 'A life for a life' he said. Not many outside of our borders would even give way to such thoughts."

"You give him too much credit. M'baku is an opportunistic obsessed with tradition. Just because he has done two good deeds, you are ready to overlook all of his faults."

"No man, woman, nor child is without faults, Churi, including you. Judge less harshly, it puts wrinkles on your skin. You're starting to look like our grandmother. .Tsk. And at such a young age, too. May I ask one last question?"

"You're on a roll, why stop before you reach insanity?"

"Did he choose to not fight for Wakanda even though we have never aided him or his people in anyway throughout these past centuries?

"No, brother…" She looked down.

T'Challa put his hands on his sister's shoulders.

"Come. Look at me. I will give you this. His words to you were his own truth. He believes you too young to lead. He believes you too arrogant to not honor the ways of our people's past. But that is no slight against you personally, Churi. He is a traditionalist and he is also from a long line of separatists that have never agreed with the union of the other four tribes under the Black Panther. For him to go against all that he is for the strained threads that hold us all together is Bast's grace and mercy.

"I guess."

T'Challa smiled. "Will you assist our rival, faults and all, to at least become comfortable with the idea of our technology? It may serve a greater purpose than we could ever imagine. Can you think of it, Churi? A completely unified Wakanda!"

"A unified Wakanda. Brother, I think you've taken too much of the heart-shaped herb today, but sure I guess I can equip our enemy with the tools for our destruction if you deem it necessary, my king."

"Thank you." His kinoe beads rang. "That's Nakia- I have to go."

He sped towards the exit. Over his shoulder he yelled.

"Lord M'baku will be here in the morning. Try to wear something quasi-traditional! First or second impressions are everything!"

Churi buried her head in her hands.

"Bast, give me strength." She whispered. This was going to be a very trying day. A very trying day, indeed.

M'Baku put the kinoe beads up to the light.

"The beads act as a visual and audio communication system between parties. It's range hasn't been tested in J'bhariland but we can give you a few samples to try."

M'Baku stretched out the bracelet, tossed it in the air, dropped it, and tossed it back up again. Churi was sure he wasn't even listening to her. The entire morning had been awkward, tension-heavy, and exasperating. Churi had thought that a couple of quick instructions over five gadgets would satisfy the Gorilla lord. She had been wrong. Everything he saw, he touched. Everything he touched, he purposely tried to brake. And everything that he purposely tried to break, he scoffed at as if her innovations were weak and faulty. She had cursed her king lots this morning.

Now if she could just get through this last demonstration then she could meet up with Nakia at the café.

"You just-" she reached for the bracelet.

He moved the bracelet to his left hand and fiddled with it some more. She tried to move to the other side, but his massive size made maneuvering a little like walking around ostrich eggshells.

"Slide it-" she reached for the bracelet again. "No, not like-"

 _Pop!_

 _Ker-ker-kerplink-plink-plink!_

 _Ker-ker-ker-plank-plank...plank...plank!"_

The ten beads scattered around the lab.

M'Baku pointedly glared at Churi. "Why does it break so easily? I have floss more durable than this."

"First, ew. I didn't need that information. Second, it's fine. It's okay. It's not broken. The beads just had their magnetic force broken for a few seconds. We easily put it back together. It's fine."

She hurried to pick up the beads and reassembled them slowly to show how the magnets attached to each other.

"Do you see? The beads are not woven with string, but by magnetic charges."

"I know about the magnets, girl. They have been around for more than 4,000 years. What I don't know is how is it used to communicate?"

She pinched his bracelet's bead and her bracelet began to ring. She glanced at his reaction.

Nothing. Go figure.

She answered and both their images appeared on triangular projections.

"You don't have to speak directly into the beads. Just speak at the image. The other person will hear you clearly."

"Why would I speak into a metal to converse with other, when I can just walk to where they are and have a conversation in person?

Sick and tired of having already answered his biased questions early today. Churi decided that it was time to end their session before she flung herself over the Warrior Falls. No, wait…then one of his men would just find her on the river bank and then she'd be stuck in Jbhari land forever. Never mind.

"Will you need anything else today, Lord M'baku?" She asked quickly as she walked around to another desk.

"13."

She stopped. "Sorry. Thirteen what?"

"I'll need 13 more". He walked past her.

Shocked that M'baku actually wanted to something he had just criticized, Churi was a little caught off guard.

"O-kay. Um. Well, tomorrow I can-"

"We return to the mountains tonight, girl. I will need thirteen of these weak bracelets by the end the day."

"Tonight? I don't think…Lord M'baku, our manufacturing is efficient, yes, but it is not magic. I assure you if you can just wait an extra day, my team and I will have 13 more bracelets for you and your tribe."

"All these technological advancements and you can't even tell that the ice will begin covering the mountain pass tonight. What blasphemy. If we wait another day, we will be here another week waiting for the ice to melt."

Churi looked confused.

"But you could just take hover bikes. They would carry you over the ice and get you home quicker."

"We leave tonight with 13 of these bracelets."

And with that said he strode towards the exit.

She waited until he heard his steps decrescendo up the staircase before giving him the bird.

"Honorable." She scoffed. "Protective."

"No, what he is is impatient!

Nakia laughed as she sipped her honey bush tea in front of the cafe with T'Challa.

"I heard you were depressed for weeks, dragging your sandals into the council room and barely eating! .Nn. Did your mother really have to force feed you? I swear it's a wonder how you ever survived before meeting me."

T'Challa reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"I don't have to worry about that now, or do I? I thought you said you would stay." Nakia cradled his hand in between her own.

"I am staying, but remember I will be flying back and forth between Oakland and Wakanda now. You said I could answer my calling and my heart. Or are you a king of false promises? And speaking of false promises…does Churi know explicitly why you want her to help M'baku?

Of course. She is the best person to teach him about our technology so that The Jbhari tribe can finally come home after all these years.

Nakia narrowed her eyes at her love. She wasn't buying it.

"I may love you, but I also see straight through you, T'Challa. You seem to forget that I am a spy. I pick up on social cues, body language, and anticipate my targets reactions and actions. I am a collector of highly valuable information."

"Yes, you are the best. I have no doubts about your skills." He brought her hand his lips and kissed it multiple times before placing it back on the table. "Forget about M'baku and the Jbhari for tonight. I think I can help you collect some other high valuable information…"

Nakia pulled her hand away, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms.

"Not tonight. I have some preparations to make before we leave next week for Oakland. King's orders, you understand."

T'Challa was about to convince her otherwise, but before he could get a word in she had gotten up and left.

Hard to be a good king, indeed, baba.


	2. Chapter 2

Traditionally Innovative

Ahh! Sleeping on Egyptian cotton sheets made her feel like a butterfly in a cocoon. Even that idiotic egg-test commercial would give her bed an A+ rating. It was around one o'clock when she completed the thirteen Kinoe bead bracelets. Her staff offered to help out, but she couldn't bear making them miss valuable time with their families after completing other important projects for their Oakland Outreach Center. So being the amazing leader that she was, she shouldered the burden and spent all night and morning creating their bracelets. Lord M'Baku better be grateful, too! She snuck a peek at her alarm.

Current Time: 2:30am

Alarm: 7:00am. 13/M'Baku

She counted the hours left on her fingers.

" _Four hours and about thirty minutes. I'll get up around 6:30…take a three minute shower…eat a granola bar for about thirty seconds…do a dental examination and cleaning for five minutes…style the braids…sigh…another ten minutes and take a talon to the lab. Yea she could afford to sleep until 6:30._

Shuri counted backwards from ten.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3

10…9…8…7…6…5…4

10…9…8…7…6…5

10…9…8…7…6

10…9…8…7

10…9…8

10…9

Shuri was fast asleep.

M'Baku pensively looked out the window of the Wakandan palace. He tried to find his village among the specs, but these ridiculous buildings obstructed his view! The only weather signs that he could see were the cumulonimbus clouds heading towards the mountains. They promised heavy rain that would freeze into snow and ice. A man could be native to cold temperatures, but that doesn't mean that he won't be affected by it. Hallucinations of being on fire brought on by sub-degree temperatures would lose him no men this night, or in the morning.

"You summoned me, Lord M'Baku?" A J'bhari body guard came through the door. M'Baku did not turn around.

"Gather the men and ask…T'challa for these hov-her-bikes that his sister talked about. We leave as soon as they can be provided. If not then we will take the zebras to the outskirts and continue through the pass on foot. The pass will be covered before morning. We need to leave as quickly as possible."

The J'bhari body guard bowed and left.

M'Baku rolled his bracelet around in his hands. He slid it over his wrist and looked back to watch the clouds as they headed for his village…for his people.

"Good morning, Princess Shuri." Chelli and E'won greeted her from the lab doors.

Shuri sped past her lab's guards with a slight bow. It was 6:57 and she was right on schedule. She skipped down the spiral staircase and jogged to her desk. There in her drawer were 13 cases of standard Kinoe bead bracelets. Sitting them on her desk, Shuri called the lab guards.

"Lord M'Baku should be arriving shortly. Can you send him on down, please? The sooner we give him his samples, the sooner he can leave." She smiled tightly.

"Yes, Princess Shuri." They replied in unison.

"Thank you." She pulled up a diagram of the mini-talons for the Oakland center. T'Challa thought it would be an interesting starting point for kids. First, they would learn parts. Then they would practice assembly. After that they could go into the chemistry of the fuel. And so on and so on. Maybe they could even try a hybrid Honda-talon, but she wasn't quite sure why it was associated with a box.

When she looked at the time it was 8:30pm. Where was he? She called her guards.

"Chelli? E'won?"

"Yes, princess Shuri?"

"Sorry, I must have been so the mini-talons that I didn't watch the time. Has Lord M'baku been waiting long?"

The two guards looked at each other in confusion.

"No, princess."

Shuri tilted her head. "No, he hasn't been waiting long, or no he never arrived?" She asked slowly.

"No one else has entered the lab but you, princess. Shall we send for him?"

"No, I will just ask T'Challa. Maybe the two are in a meeting or something. Call me if he shows later, ok?"

"Arggghh!" M'Baku fell off his hover bike for the third time in a mile. His men weren't faring well either if the zigzag patterns in the grass were anything to go by.

"That girl said these hov-her-bikes would be faster than walking. Lies!" He grumbled and turned to his men. He hated not knowing what to do. And he knew nothing about this hov-her-bike. Clowning around with his men was normal, but looking like a fool with no clear direction was not his idea of leadership. He was secretly glad they didn't know how to operate the bikes either.

"Has anyone pressed the triangle button?!" One plump bodyguard asked with frustrated.

"Maybe it means forward?" A skinny bodyguard scratched his head.

"You, try the triangle button." The shortest bodyguard ordered.

"No, no, no. We already did that one remember? It moves the bike forward." The tallest bodyguard interjected.

"The triangle or the circle? The skinny bodyguard asked.

"Obviously the triangle is forwards, so we just need to keep pressing it and the circle to make it go forwards faster."

"But what about this square, has anyone figured out what it does?"

"Yes! And the x, too?"

M'Baku looked up to the sky and said a prayer to Agoban. They were never going to make it home at this rate. He didn't know what he was doing. His men didn't know what they were doing. And the clouds were getting darker. They all needed to get back to the village. Rubbing his eyes, he was met with a cool round pressure. He looked at his wrist. Hadn't he left it with the girl? What had the girl called it? How had she used it the night before? The Audio-Visual Communication device! As he fiddled with it, his men continued to argue over symbols and hov-her-bike directions.

"You, WHAT?!" Shuri yelled at her brother's visage. "You just gave him 13 hover bikes? And you just allowed them all to leave?"

T'Challa sighed. He was moving documents from one stack to another. "They are not our prisoners, Shuri. They wanted to leave, and so I let them leave. We can spare 13 hover bikes. Why are you so upset?"

Shuri's leg shook restlessly underneath her table. Yes, I understand why you feel that way, brother, but first let me pose some questions to you, okay? Sound familiar? First: Why would you let the technologically challenged leave with no training on how to operate a hover bike?

"I-"

"Stop! Next question, my king" she mockingly continued "Why did you not bring him to the lab so that I could give him the bracelets?"

"Bracelets? He didn't say anything about -"

"BAST! Dammit, I spent all night and morning getting them ready for him. He just left without them. I could have slept! Do you know how challenging it is to create 13 Kinoe bead bracelets for the technologically slow? I had to basically re-create the prototype to make it simple enough for them to understand!"

"Shuri," he reprimanded "They are unfamiliar with our technology- not unintelligent!"

"By our standards they are! A toddler can operate a hover stroller, a child a hover bike, but a J'hbari leader with an entourage of thirteen nobodies cannot! They will be like hippos skating on ice! They-

Beep-Beep-Beep.

"Wait a second. Someone is calling me. Bye T'challa. Don't give out anymore hover bikes, or talons, or anything else that comes into your brilliant mind!

Shuri cut off one line and opened the other. A triangle projected a screen of moving …grass?

"Girl?"

"Lord M'baku!?" Shuri tried to move the angles of the camera, but all she got was a foot here and more grass there. "Lord M'baku, just stop walking." The feet stopped. "Ok good, now, hold your arm out directly in front of you.

The grass turned into a big foot. A big foot turned into a boot, skimming over a thigh. Shuri averted her eyes for a few seconds before a stoic face streamed onto the projection.

Funny. A minute ago he sounded desperate. Judging by his face you would never be able to tell now. Shuri rolled her eyes. Leaders. She sneered. So quick to cover up emotions.

"Good morning Lord M'baku, pray tell why you are on hover bikes near the outskirts?" She tightly asked, faking a smile and wagging her eyebrows a little too high than natural. Who could blame her?

M'Baku shrugged, looked away, and then turned back to Shuri. "The weather was accelerating faster than I had anticipated. It is harder to tell within the confines of your _city._ Damn buildings blocking out the sky."

The way he spat the word 'city' made Shuri bristle. Keep her up for all hours of the night and morning. Ok. Make her get up early to give him his requests? It was a bit irritating, but expected because the Gorilla was thick-headed. Leave her waiting while he left the city? Again. The gorilla was thick. But insulting her city? Oh, hell no! Letting all her tired, pent-up anger bubble she blew a gasket.

"Those damn buildings are works of art and industry, a product of hours of labor and collaborative planning. They derive their architecture from the ancient buildings of our ancestors, but they are enhanced by forward-thinking technology to protect against the elements and attacks that happen to pass our security precautions, _Lord_ M'Baku…"

He could be wrong, but he could have sworn there was scorn on his title.

"…whose engineering is to maximize fuel resources and minimize pollution so that our population has the most efficient power grid in the world!

Why was she getting so worked up about a stupid building?

"And YOU _lord_ M'Baku-"

There it was again…that seemingly scornful way she referred to him. What was bugging this girl?

"But YOU have decided to leave my _city_ over a hunch that your precious pass will freeze over, on hover bikes that you don't know how to work, without meeting me for your thirteen "must-have-immediately" Kinoe beads, that I spent all night and morning slaving over. Then after a mere four hours of rest , I sped like a cheetah after a baby antelope to meet you at a lab, that you were not at, simply because your fucking mountain pass may freeze over!"

Shuri put her head in her hands and her elbows on her table. That had been building up for a while now. Shuri remained silent. M'Baku looked at the petite stick in front of him. She had been full of energy on Challenge Day, fearful of him, but still full of energy. When she came to J'bhariland she had seemed full of anguish and despair. Now she just seemed a mere shell.

"…"

"…"

"…Are you done?"

Shuri's arms came down on her table and she bared her teeth at him and snarled.

M'Baku bit his tongue and looked away from the screen. He almost laughed at her expression. Really, she was a twig, and yet she honestly thought that she could seem threatening for a moment. A chuckle almost escaped him. It would have been admirable, if she wasn't so tiny. He paused before continuing.

"A woman is giving birth tomorrow." He mumbled.

Shuri's expression softened. "What?"

"Traditionally, all of the elders and the leaders of J'bhariland are expected to meditate outside the birthing room for a safe delivery for every mother and child of the tribe. It is known."

"That's why you have to make it through the mountain pass?" Shuri asked with disbelief. "I don't understand. Is she your sister? Your wife? Your cousin?" He shook his head.

"Every life counts in J'bhariland. I am expected to offer the blessing at every birth. It is my birthright. If I miss a birth it is-"

"A bad thing?"

M'Baku looked away and softly smiled, thinking of the tales of his own birth. Shuri did a double take. Had she ever seen him smile? Wait…she had…during that horrible cannibal joke. She sighed and thought for a minute.

"Yes, a very bad thing. We will be heading back to your…city. I will make up for my absence another way when I am able to return."

"No-wait…just give me a minute to think. I just thought you were being ornery."

…

…

…

…

…

"I've got it. Put your bracelet next to the hover bike. I can link it to my table and sync all the bikes together. I might even possibly get you home in time for the birth, but I make no promises. Normally I drive on highways with street lights. There are no such lights in J'bhariland are there?

"Just the light of the moon and stars."

"Well, that just sounds poetic. Not helpful, but poetic."

In front of her a hover bike appeared. She made a digital copy so that she wouldn't have to interfere with M'Baku's physical body in the driver's seat.

The bike reared to life.

"Your men need to link with their bikes, too. If they are within a 500 foot radius, then we should be able to link them. Try it now."

M'baku relayed the orders and soon all the bikes were ready to go.

A hologram of the outskirts of town appeared around her.

"Right. So, how do we get to J'bhariland?"


	3. Chapter 3

Traditionally Innovative Chapter 3

M'Baku jerked his bike and shouted, "Stop!"

Shuri abruptly halted the bikes.

"Why are stopping? I can see the village. Well, barely with the snow and everything, but we are close."

"They will continue on foot. There is something I must do before entering the village. My gratitude for your assistance, but it is best you recall your bikes and cut off all transmissions with us now."

Shuri cocked her head to the left, "I don't understand. You told me that you wanted to attend the birth. The hover bikes can still get you there quicker than walking. Why stop using them now?"

"Because it is not our way. Recall your bikes and I will return to the city to reclaim the other Kimoye beads in about a week's time. Until then, good night."

Shuri rolled her eyes. Why were men so stubborn? It would take his guards less than five minutes to reach their home on the bikes. And what about this poor mother in painful agony? Could Shuri really be the cause for her disappointment if M'Baku did not arrive on time? No. Choosing to ignore M'Baku, Shuri disconnected her controls from M'Baku's bike and switched to one of his guard's.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled from his seat. He saw the other bikes moving past him.

"You asked me to stop your bike. I stopped your bike. I'm helping the rest of your men get to the village."

He shook his hand and head at her vigorously, "No, no, no, NO!"

"Why? Do you want your men to get to the village on time or not?"

"My men? Yes. You. No. Not even this "ghost-you".

Shuri's jaw dropped. "Me? Are you saying that I can't enter your village, but your men can? Your people wouldn't even see me. Technically I am not even here. This is like a hologram, but better"

" Hologram? What is a? You know what? Never mind! It is _their_ village. So, yes my men have a right to enter their home because they are Jabari. You, however, are not Jabari! These hover bikes are not Jabari! This…this…image of you is not Jabari. It would be seen as witchcraft for you to enter into my village with these things! No matter how helpful you may have been-"

Shuri clutched her imaginary pearls. " _May have been_? _Witchcraft_? These bikes, those Kimoye beads, and I helped you get here in record time. Without them you would still be in Wakanda missing the birth of one of your citizens. Lord M'Baku I understand that your village may not thrive on technology like mine, but truly it is the year 2018 not 10,000 B.C.! Surely your people have telephones, refrigerators and maybe even a blockbuster around the corner somewhere. You scoff at our inventions, while incorporating their predecessors in your own day-to-day lives. You are a hypocrite! Stop this ridiculousness and let's go!"

He forcefully rubbed a hand over his face. He was at the end of his patience with this entire night. He had taken no rest over the last few days. He had been on guard in a city full of his enemies, who only now decided that he and his people were worthy of their time.

He had taken a leap of faith to Agoman and entertained their gadgets and treaty, knowing there was an ulterior motive. He had lowered himself to ask another leader for aid to lead his own tribe in this birthing ritual- a boy just a bit younger than himself he would admit. And then he had been nagged by this twig of a child, who understood things he couldn't even begin to comprehend. How the mighty had fallen.

Now he had to find a mountainside herb for the new mother and child in the middle of a small blizzard. He didn't have the time to defend his beliefs and his culture to this ignorant yet smart girl!

"Get off the bikes." His men clumsily jumped off the machines into the snow. "I have entertained your questions with answers. I have given you time as of which I cannot get back. Yet still you disrespect my culture, my people, my men, and myself by refusing my authority in my own territory! Be Gone!"

"Why are you so threatened?" She asked exasperatedly.

I AM NOT THREATENED! M'Baku roared.

Shuri's shrunk into herself for protection. She had seen that look on his face before.

M'Baku looked away breathing heavily. Agoman, when would this night end? After the birth he was going treat himself to a spirit. He damn well deserved it after all he had been through. He glanced back at the girl and his heart stopped.

She looked terrified.

She had called him _threatened_. Now his outburst had made him _threatening_.

Shuri was young, younger than T'Challa and himself. Somewhere in the logical part of his mind he knew she was only acting the way brash youth do. He admired her passion and how it drove her, but this wasn't her playground; this was Jabariland-his land.

He looked her over again. Her eyes were sunken in. He hadn't noticed before. Ah! She had taken no rest either to make sure that he had the samples, which were still back in Wakanda.

She did not deserve to be paid with fear after her honorable efforts. He tried softened his voice and facial expression.

"Princess Shuri…" He had never said an enemy's name out loud before without feeling malice on the inside. It felt odd. He didn't like it.

Her eyes refocused and she seemed to come to again.

"I meant what I said, but not how I said it. You have been a great help on this night and for that you have my gratitude. We both have had little rest and it has taken its toll on both of us. Please recall the machines and I will see you within a week's time."

Shuri swallowed and tried to find something to do with her hands to keep them from shaking. Looking down, she began sending auto-pilot instructions to the hover bikes so that they could return to her lab.

M'Baku waited for a response.

Nothing.

Was that not an apology? He thought he did great. Mentally he reached for some consolation to ease her apprehension.

"I cannot let my people see the hov-her-bikes because only my most trusted men agreed to sample your technology. My people won't be as eager to see a hov-her-bike or your ghost-image tonight. Please understand it is not a slight against you or your work. We mustn't push too fast or too strong with changes. People have to be eased into them- like how redbox eased their way into blockbusters' space.

A laugh escaped Shuri. "What do you know about redbox?"

"Don't worry about it, we of the Jabari tribe are still team Blockbuster. There is a small sect that likes this box of red.

He sighed." Let's address the elephant in the room,y? I didn't mean to frighten you. And I didn't mean to frighten you at Warrior Falls. When your mother stayed behind during the mound battle, I gave my word no harm would come to her. It is the same for you, Shuri. No physical harm will come from me to you. I give you my word."

She laughed hollowly. "Physical harm?"

He smiled again.

"We come from two separate worlds, Shuri. You fiercely believe in creating objects that I cannot even begin to comprehend. I believe in maintaining the old ways, those of which you believe only exist in ancient texts. As long as you and I are working together, I am going to hurt your feelings simply because we are going to disagree and not see eye to eye."

"Well that's impossible anyway. We greatly differ in height." She mumbled as her fingers finally steadied.

"…I can always bend down."

* * *

Okoye waited while the elders left the council room. W'Tabi waited for her at the door, but she waved him on. Things were still not right between them. She doubted they would be for quite some time, but right now was not appropriate for that discussion.

T'Challa looked up from his desk, "If there is something else you'd like to discuss about the Oakland preparations you may speak with Nakia."

"No my king, but I would like to ask you about a matter of concern."

T'Challa gestured towards her seat and his throne. "Come. What worries you?"

"Do you I have your permission to speak freely, my king?"

He nodded, "Of course".

"This treaty you have designed is an excellent idea. It will be the shining star of your reign, but don't you think it may lead to some unexpected complications in the future?"

He looked at her pointedly. "I see you and Nakia have been spilling tea again. Trust me, Okoye. You have nothing to worry about. I trust that M'Baku will see to Shuri's safety throughout the treaty talks."

"It is not her safety that I am worried he will see to, my king. I do not believe it was a good idea to leave Shuri in the company of a man like M' all due respect that is deserving of his majesty, my king you have placed your sister in a compromising situation. Shuri is a talented individual. The princess is intelligent, innovative, and impressive, but she is also impressionable.

"What are you suggesting Okoye?"

"Do you not fear that something will… grow between them? Shuri has only been around two powerful men in her entire life: You and T'Chaka, her father. She is young. Young girls are attracted to powerful men. M'Baku is a powerful man."

T'Challa held his side as he laughed.

"M'Baku is not looking for a wife, and I am not pimping out my sister for a treaty like those animals of Europe. The mere notion is ridiculous, Okoye. Yes, Shuri is young, but she is not dumb. Plus I've seen these boys she brings home. M'Baku isn't like any of them, and he isn't her type.

"All things start small, my king. The only thing that makes them grow is time, which you've given them plenty of. I would not have our princess influenced by some barbaric outsider. What if she is swayed to their way of life? What if he poisons her mind against you, her own brother? "

"You are making mountains out of meercat dens, Okoye. Shuri is only going to assist him with technology so that we can convince the Jabari to sign a treaty. M'Baku is a powerful man, and yes young girls are attracted to powerful men, yourself included, but Shuri is honestly too afraid to even see M'Baku in that light. As to which I am thankful, I could never see him worthy of my sister."

"So you agree that he is bad for Shuri?"

T'Challa lifted himself up off of the arm rests of his chair. "Yes."

"You know what else young girls are attracted too? Bad boys."

T'Challa shook his head as he left the room.

"You worry too much!" He yelled back.

Okoye shook her head and sighed.

"And you worry too little."


	4. Chapter 4

Traditionally Innovative

"I can always bend down."

Shuri laughed. "Bend down? I think many things of you Lord Rebel, but I think the thought of you bending down almost two feet is the funniest of all. I see your point though. You are interested in our technology, but even if you are it will take your people time to change their beliefs."

M'baku nodded. "That's the second time you've called me that."

"Funny?"

"No, Lord Rebel. Why?"

"I thought it was obvious. You are the leader of a tribe that is a separatist sect of our great Wakandan nation."

"Is that what your history beads tell you?"

"Is there something else they should be telling me? You know the stories as well as I do. The first Black Panther brought the four tribes together, but the Jabari refused to live under his rule. Therefore, they fled to the mountains and have lived there for centuries. A rebel is a person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler. IS that not what you are?

M'baku felt fatigued and he still had to gather the mountainside herb quickly.

"Your history lesson is a little biased. There is more to the story, but I am running out of time. I will see you next week."

Shuri nodded as her visage disappeared.

M'Baku began walking through the bare shrubbery. He expertly moved around the glazed icy boulders as he pulled his fur around him tightly. Surely, there had been some green oval-shaped herb nearby. If he could gather enough of it for the water-birth and it would alleviate the mother's labor pains. The herb's medicinal properties eased contractions. It did not stop the screaming, but pushing out Jabari children was not easy. Most of their men were built like oxen, while surprisingly their women were quite average in stature. It was nothing short of Agoman's miraculous nature that a majority of births did not kill the women.

Briefly, the Gorilla Lord wondered if Shuri had a technological way to ease labor pains. Jabari women were strong, but the birthing process was still a trial. What would the Wakandan princess use? She would probably laugh at his herbs. He doubted they used them much in the city. Maybe the Kimoye beads would project a therapist on the screen to calm the women down. He did not know. He pushed thought of the princess away and focused on finding the herbs.

Spotting a patch of green stems with oval leaves a couple yards away he picked up his pace, bent down, and uprooted three handfuls of the plant. He put them in his leather satchel and jogged towards his village.

He prayed to Agoman that he was not too late.

Shuri moved away from her sand table and walked up the stairs. Bast, she was so sleepy! Such a long day and night this had been. What time was it anyway?

 _2:30am._

Bast was laughing at her. Was this not the time she slept yesterday? She needed to demand T'Challa for a raise. Not every little sister would be as helpful as she was. Shuri invented the technology, oversaw the mining operations, volunteered around the city, spoke at important events, and still managed to squeeze in time for her own personal life. She scoffed at the thought of the Disney princesses. What work did they do to earn the title "princess"?

Anyhow, this princess was going to lock herself in her room and sleep forever. Who knows, maybe a prince would come and kiss her so that she can wake up and be a homemaker forever. Bah! As if! Silly European fairy tales.

Okoye marched out of the council room passing by palace guards, windows, and potted plants. Perhaps she had not been as forward as she should have been with her king.

"You worry too much, Okoye!" she mumbled and shook her head.

She had a bad feeling about this. Sure, she had stepped in front of M'Baku during the mound battle, but that did not mean she particularly cared for him. He had come to T'Challa's aid-as he should! As soon as M'Baku signed the treaty, he would go back to the mountains-as he should! While her king treated the scum as an equal, she could only see a threat to her country and right now her princess.

She saw Shuri in the same light as Nakia, a little sister too smart for her own good. Smart enough to advance their ways of life, but naïve enough to be fall for the wrong man. She did not think that M'baku was interested in Shuri, not at all, but no one, not even the princess and a rebel lord elude the laws of attraction.

They certainly had worked on her and W'Kabi, hadn't they?

"My love." Think of the devil and he will appear. Okoye turned her head towards the voice. The border tribe leader had waited for her at the palace entrance. Dammit, she had hoped to avoid him today.

"W'Kabi." She nodded in acknowledgement as she walked right past him. "Shouldn't you catch the next train for the border province?"

W'Kabi winced. Was she _that_ ready to get rid of him? "I rescheduled my return trip for tomorrow. I was hoping that we could talk…tonight instead."

Okoye waited for the next bus to arrive on the corner. "We did talk. We talked yesterday, and the day before that, and the day that came before that. What else is there to talk about?"

"Us."

Okoye kept her eyes on the street praying to Bast that a bus would arrive within the next minute before she erupted with all the hurt she had felt at W'Kabi's earlier betrayal. Yes, it had been few weeks. Yes, they still were intimate, but nothing was like before. She did not know how to let go of the resentment that she felt towards her love. He wanted to talk about it. Okoye wanted to jump past it and act as if it never happened. Maybe if she just ignored it, she could feel only love for him again. Maybe she could forget that the loyal man she fell in love with was a traitor.

Deciding she could walk faster than the bus could arrive; the general began crossing the street with W'Kabi hot on her trail.

"Okoye, wait!" W'Kabi dodged several bikes and couples. Reaching out he pulled her into a nearby alley. She did not resist his touch, but she wasn't relaxing into his warmth either. It was most unsettling.

"How many times do I have to grovel before I get back into your good graces? I have pleaded with our king, and he has been far more forgiving than you have. I said that I was sorry."

Okoye looked at his face and then looked off to stare at the stucco-like wall of the alley before responding.

"And I said that I forgive you. We're fine. It's fine. Let it go. You do not have to stay in the city on my behalf. Go back to the border, and when I'm on patrol, I'll come see you. We good? Good!

W'Kabi laughed bitterly. "And give you three more weeks to seethe in your disgrace towards me? You're angry at 's clear. BE ANGRY! You keep running around with your day-to-day tasks acting as if you're ok when I know that you aren't. Ignoring this won't make it go away. You need to express what you're feeling. The king of Wakanda can be without the general for one day enough for you to tap back into your emotions. I promise you the country won't fall because of it."

"No, just because of you." She snapped back. W'Kabi winced.

Okoye shrugged her shoulders and waved her hands up to the air. "Our country was in chaos because of you, more so than N'Jadoku. You want to talk about "us". Fine, let's talk about it, but first let me ask you a few questions.

"Did you think about "us" when you supported a man you barely knew simply because he gave you your parents' murderer?"

"…"

"Did you think about "us" when you brushed off my council in front of everyone as if it was nothing just because you wanted blood?"

"…"

"Did you think about us when you ignored the ritual combat rules and ordered your men to kill their true king?" She tried to keep her voice low as others arrived walked by. She hated being a spectacle and the entire Kingdom was already speculating on how the civil skirmish had affected their relationship. Bast!

W'Kabi wanted to reach out to her, but balled his fist up instead. She needed to let this out, or he would lose her indefinitely. He could take her anger for a short while if it meant there was a chance of having the real Okoye back.

"Okoye, I made a mistake."

She raised her brows. "A mistake?"

He was not making any progress, but he would try to speak with her tonight, border tribe be damned.

"Yes, a mistake."

Okoye didn't want to hear about this now. Therefore, she did what any cowardly general would have done; she retreated. "I have some errands to run. Go home, W'kabi. I'll see you in a few weeks. Send my love to your uncle."

Okoye walked out of the alley. W'Kabi watched her tattooed head bobbing through a sea of dreads, headdresses, and hats.

He leaned dejectedly against the wall.

Shuri smiled as the aroma of roasted goat stew greeted her through the dining room door. Nodding at the guards, she made her way towards the table where her mother and brother were already eating and laughing.

She sat down in front a platter of plantain fufu balls, but stole one from T'Challa's plate instead while he wasn't looking.

"…rethink coming with us."

"To America? Bah! If I want to travel to a backwards country I'll revisit Jabariland."

"At least promise me that you'll make an appearance at the center when it's open. I don't want a long speech, just a short introduction. Think of the impression you'll make on the young girls who don't have such a graceful and beautiful role model to look up to. They've never had a queen before."

T'Challa kissed Ramonda's hand.

Shuri snorted, ruining the heartfelt moment and T'Challa's manipulation. He narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Yea, they only know about that English queen. Such a pity. T'Challa, you know mother isn't going anywhere outside of Wakanda. She hasn't left since I was born."

Shuri reached for some sakuma wiki.

Ramonda patted T'Challa's shoulder. "I have everything I need here. Why travel to such a primitive country when I live in the most advanced? No, my son, you and your sister can travel the world. I will oversee our way of life here."

The queen mother wiped her hands on a beige napkin before kissing both her children on the head.

Shuri looked befuddled. "I just sat down. Where are you going?"

Some of us haven't been sleeping all day. Did you not look at the time before you came downstairs?"

Shuri checked her bracelet.

7:55pm.

Did she really sleep that long?

Shuri looked down. "I was really tired. Sorry, mother."

"Don't look so beaten down. I was just teasing! T'Challa told me you were helping Nakia and Okoye with the Oakland preparations all night. I am so proud of you! Did you get everything done?"

Shuri's spoon stopped between her plate and her mouth. She raised an eyebrow at her brother. "…uh-huh. Google maps needed to sync with our system so that Nakia and T'Challa have a better layout of the city when they go. It took more time than I thought, I guess."

Ramonda hugged her daughter's shoulders and kissed the top of her braids before walking towards the door.

"Don't forget to drink some lavender tea, if you have trouble getting to sleep tonight. Goodnight my son! Good night, my daughter."

"Good night, mother." They said in unison.

Shuri counted her mother's steps until she knew that she had reached the elevator. Then she looked at her brother as she ate two chunks of goat meat.

"Why did you lie?" she whispered.

T'Challa sipped some water before looking innocently at Shuri.

"Lie about what? I covered for you."

Shuri pointed her fork at T'Challa "Oh, oh, oh, you are going to go pick a switch when she finds out, and it better be a thin one, brother."

"I didn't lie. I just omitted some information. Who am I to worry her?"

"She is going to flip when she finds out. Perhaps I should sell tickets and order a caterer; it will be the match of the century." Shuri dug into some efo riro with renewed fervor. Damn, she was hungry. When was the last time she had eaten anything?

T'Challa shifted in his seat. "It is just a little omission. Besides, I'm sure your new boy won't last five seconds with you. You are way too ugly."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, brother. I'm not the one getting ready to get my ass whooped by a fifty-seven year old queen-wait, what boy?"

"You know who I'm talking about. Hakeem!"

"I wasn't with Hakeem last night, T'Challa." Shuri slowly spelled out.

T'Challa rolled his eyes.

"Did I cover for you for nothing? For Bast's sake, I put on such a beautiful performance. Where were you then?"

"I was helping the separatist- like you ordered, my king." She mock bowed and then popped a grape in her mouth.

That caught T'Challa's interest. "At night?!" He snapped.

"Of course at night, genius. How else do you think they managed to use the hover bikes? I used my sand table and the Kimoye bracelets to get them home before the storm got too bad."

"Storm? What storm? It was perfectly clear outside. You could see every star."

"Where is your brain tonight, eh? Didn't you know there was a storm headed towards the mountains? M'baku wanted to get to the village before the pass iced over."

"How did he know there was a storm coming?"

"Brother, he is a backwards, country separatist. He used his nature powers to read stars as maps and moss on the side of a tree to lead him to civilization. I don't know the specifics, but he predicted correctly." She shrugged.

"He said he saw some snow clouds… I hope he made it to the birth," she mumbled.

T'Challa's eyes widened. "M'Baku's giving birth? HOW?" Maybe he didn't want a treaty with the Jabari after all.

Shuri almost spit out her water as she stifled a laugh. "You are so slow, you know that? A woman in the village was giving birth, duh."

Shuri twirled some collard greens around her fork and mumbled "I can't see you doing that".

"Can't see me doing what?"

"Nothing, nothing. So, have you seen W'Kabi? He reminds me of you after Nakia left your ass for her Nigerian mission."

T'Challa kicked Shuri's leg under the table.

"Ouch!" Shuri retaliated, but he caught her foot. "Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go!"

"Yield."

"Fine! Gah- so sensitive."

"They will work it out. I have no doubt. You, however, stay out of their business."

"Okoye is like another sister, T'Challa! Moreover, W'Kabi supported an uprising against you! How can you forgive him so easily?"

T'Challa messaged his temples. The women in his life had nagged him about this point for weeks. "I have known him since childhood, Shuri. He is one of my closet friends. What would you have me do?"

"T'Challa, a close friend lies. A close friend disagrees. A close friend doesn't take the side of a usurper and then ignore the ritual combat rules and persist to attack you!"

"He said he was sorry and so I forgave him. Is that such a crime? Do you want to me to throw him away, when he has so much influence on the border tribe?"

Shuri shook her head as she reached for more goat. "So, that's what you're hiding behind? The border tribe is the reason you forgave this sorry son-of-a-bitch for having a hand in you almost dying, and then starting a small civil war with our newly found cousin?"

"Let's just agree to disagree. I cannot dictate what you feel towards W'Kabi, but as for myself, I have chosen forgiveness over hate. I'd advise you to do the same. Good night, Shuri."

T'Challa got up from the table and the Dora Milaje surrounded him as he left the dining room.

Shuri sighed and reached for another fufu ball.

"…I wonder if it was a girl or a boy? Do they even have ultrasounds in Jabariland?"


	5. Chapter 5

Traditionally Innovative

" _ **Your history lesson is a little biased. There is more to the story, but I am running out of time. I will see you next week."**_

 _ **Shuri nodded as her visage disappeared.**_

Monday

M'Baku rolled his neck and shoulders as a new recruit recovered from an uppercut. After the recruit got his bearings back, he lunged forward with a battle cry, but quickly got spun into a headlock. Stuck in a headlock, the recruit retaliated with two gut punches and a failed kick to the groin. M'Baku tightened his arms around the recruit's neck like a boa constrictor compressing around a gazelle. The opponent tapped out in submission. M'baku let him go, called for water, gulped the liquid down, and signaled for the next warrior.

Shuri cracked her neck. The freshwater ecologists had brought her some samples from the Zambezi and Nile rivers to compare to Wakanda's own river province. Surprisingly, the vibranium ratios weren't the only difference. No, Shuri was finding that other materials were polluting the bodies of water and proving to be a threat to the ecosystems around there. Normally, this would not have concerned her, but with T'Challa's new open-door policies it was imperative that they have data on the other regions of Africa. Shuri made a solution of Zambezi's water and one gram of Vibranium. She prepared a slide and slid it onto the microscope's stage.

Tuesday

Jareeb, a childhood friend, had invited M'Baku out for spirits. The pair normally hung out at least twice a week, but with the new recruits' training it had become too busy to juggle his personal life with his tribal duties lately. Leaving his staff and armor behind, M'baku only wore a pair of ebony leather pants, some charcoal-dyed, fur boots, and an obsidian sweater. A single silver chain with a gorilla pendant hung from his neck. Under his arm he carried a gift for Jareeb's wife, Kala. He knocked on the door and was instantly embraced by Jareeb and then Kala. As he stepped through the threshold he noticed Kala's small, yet protruding belly. He smiled. In about seven more months the Jabari leader would have to go find another green, oval-shaped herb.

Okoye, a role model and sister figure, needed to let loose! So Shuri had taken it upon herself to ambush the general for a girls' night out. Unfortunately, Nakia was in Oakland with T'Challa and wouldn't be joining them. That meant there would be more drinks for them. Shuri slid into a pair of orange capris, threw a white spaghetti-strap over her head, and tucked her feet into some blood-orange, Nike sneakers. With a couple sprays of Heat perfume she was out the door. Okoye was waiting right outside the door with a stern face.

"Two drinks. We are only having two drinks."

Shuri smirked and drug Okoye to the lift.

" _That's what you think."_ Shuri thought.

Wednesday

Ramonda walked arm in arm with her daughter, Shuri. The royal ladies joked and cackled about the most recent gossip of the kingdom as they perused the various wares of the market. Shuri unlinked arms from her mother to stop at a River province booth. It caught her eye. Basket after basket held stuffed animals for children. Shuri shuffled through panthers, snakes, lions, rhinos, gazelles, and even an ostrich, but she still didn't see a gorilla.

"What are you looking for dear?" Ramonda peeked over the princess' shoulder.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just browsing, you know?" Misinterpreting her daughter's intentions, Ramonda smiled and patted Shuri's back.

"Don't worry. You'll have some of your own someday."

Her mother walked away before seeing the mortified look on her face.

" ' . !" She gritted out as she stomped after her mother.

M'Baku conversed with every merchant at the market. He encouraged the farmers, congratulated the fisherman, flirted with the potter's daughters, joked with the tanners, and even debated a possible increase with the fur traders. His gait was smooth and calm; he was in no hurry. Suddenly, a petite six-year old girl with plaits in her hair ran up to him carrying a basket full of wooden necklaces. She bowed. He bent down with a smile and put one arm over his knee.

"And how is business today, Kiki?"

"Great! I sold six of my necklaces today!"

M'Baku feigned a shocked expression. "Six? So many already? I don't suppose you have any that would interest me, do you?"

Kiki eagerly shoved the basket into M'Baku's chest. He browsed through them, but couldn't find one that would fit a certain princess.

Kiki's excitement dimmed as she saw that their tribe's leader was not selecting a necklace. Her shoulders dropped.

"Eh, Kiki, would you consider making a necklace for me? One that is different than these here."

Kiki nodded quickly. "What would you like?"

M'Baku scratched his chin pensively. It would take some convincing to get Kiki to commission the necklace that he wanted. It was almost sacrilegious to ask. Agoman forgive him.

"Would you make a lion for me?"

Kiki gagged. "A lion? Are you sure?"

He laughed. "No, you are right! It cannot be a lion. How about…a cheetah?"

Kiki's eyes got big. "A cheetah? I don't know…"

He patted her head. "No, no, you are wise beyond your years. What if…you carved a panther for me?"

Kiki put her basket down and her hands on her hips. " _ **a black panther?!**_ Like those uppity Wakandans? I am sorry Lord M'Baku, but I just cannot do it."

He tried.

The leader dug into his satchel and pulled out a few coins. He gave them to Kiki and said "It's alright, Kiki, but I will take some carving wood. Do you have any?"

She nodded. "Back at the house. Stay right here, please. I'll be right back!"

Thursday

Shuri entered the temple where the heart-shaped herb grew. She kneeled before a statue of Bast and prayed. She prayed that her mother would continue to find peace after her father's assassination. She prayed that T'Challa would remain safe on his missions and receive good guidance during his reign. She prayed that Okoye's sadness would end, and that W'Kabi would see the true errors of his ways and repent. She prayed that the colonizer, Bucky, would win the fight over his demons. And before she got up from the floor she prayed for a Jabari mother and a, hopefully, healthy child. There may or may not have been a quick mention of a certain Lord Rebel.

Praise be to Bast.

M'Baku reverently stared at Agoman's statue from the edge of his throne room; there was the great gorilla that upheld his tribe. M'Baku would say prayers sporadically throughout the day. He wasn't too fond of temples. To him, they were all pomp and circumstance, but not enough substance. This morning he had prayed for financial prosperity for his people as he bathed. Around noon he had prayed for little Kiki and that her talent would flourish and be nurtured. After the council meeting he had prayed that Jareeb and his wife, Kala would deliver a healthy child. And as he lay down to sleep he prayed for a treaty that would be favorable to his people's culture. There may or may not have been a mumbled slur about a certain Princess.

Praise be to Agoman.

Friday

Shuri sighed as her alarm clock stole her from her dreams. TBIF: Thank Bast it's Friday!

M'Baku's deep snores were cut off as a tsungi horn blew him awake. Thank Agoman that is Friday!

Saturday

Shuri waved to her mother as she left the palace with Hakeem. They were going to a Wololo concert. How fun! Hakeem had surprised her with VIP passes and a bouquet of leopard orchids. She liked Hakeem. He wasn't too star struck by her title, nor was he afraid of her big brother. Okay, maybe she was lying to herself, but he put on a good front. Most of all she liked Hakeem because with him she didn't feel like she was a princess or a scientist- she was just a girl. And tonight she was a girl with a bouquet of leopard orchids and VIP passes to see Wololo.

M'Baku respectfully nodded to the village's potter as he offered his arm to one of his daughters, Zephra. They were going to watch the skiing races. How fun! He had noticed that Zephra made it a point to be at her father's booth whenever he visited the market. She was a beautiful girl and very old-fashioned. M'Baku knew that he would have to marry at some point, but right now he felt a burning urge to make a change for his people. Siring children could come later, but that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy life's pleasures now with no-strings attached.

Sunday

Shuri triple checked the Kimoye beads. M'Baku would be arriving in the city tomorrow for more treaty talks. She couldn't wait to ask him about the baby.

…

M'Baku picked up his abandoned Kimoye beads from a drawer. He fumbled with it and hit a few wrong buttons, but he managed to get a call through to Shuri. Or who he hoped was Shuri.

Shuri looked down at her bracelet.

"…Lord M'Baku?" She asked a hesitant, surprised, and curious at the same time.

"Princess Shuri, how has your week been?

"Good! It's been, uh, good…and yours?"

"Busy. It's been very busy…"

There was a pregnant pause. Shuri decided to break it.

"What can I do for you Lord M'Baku?"

"Would you mind sending the hov-her-bikes for tomorrow? It would save us a couple hours of travel if we didn't just _**walk**_ down the mountain."

Shuri laughed. "Of course, of course. I'll set them to pick you up right outside your village, where I saw you last. Is that ok with you? "

"Yes and thank you."

"Consider it done."

….

….

….

"See you tomorrow?" Shuri supplied uneasily.

M'Baku was secretly grateful for the help. This was awkward as hell.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow."


	6. Chapter 6

Traditionally Innovative

Chp. 6

 _4:27am, Monday_

Laying on her side, the general slept soundly. Okoye barely registered the sudden dip in the bed through her slumber-heavy eyes. A wet tongue languidly tasted every inch of the smooth skin on the side of her neck.

A warm chest pressed against her back blocking a draft while two rough hands un-wrapped her body from the rest of the comforter.

Losing her cloth cocoon brought Okoye completely out of her sleep. Turning her head slightly and readjusting her eyes she saw W'Kabi. _How did he get in?_ _Oh, right. He has a key, remember?_

"What are you doing here?" She rasped.

He mumbled through kisses and caresses. "Apologizing."

"We just had sex yesterday. Go home." She continued fighting between confusion, arousal, and the desire to return to sleep. Yesterday's quickie might have been stress relief, but it was still sex.

"We're not having sex. I'm apologizing, or do you want me to leave?" He rumbled as he unhooked and discarded her lace, ivory bra next to his boxer briefs.

A quick intake of breath escaped her as rough hands firmly kneaded her breasts, occasionally tweaking sensitive nipples underneath the pads of his fingers.

Okoye's arm reached behind her head to grab his neck, bringing his head closer to hers.

W'Kabi's right hand dove beneath an ivory, mesh pair of panties. Okoye bit her lip as he gently rolled her slick mound between his fingers, eliciting soft, sensual moans from his lover.

Okoye turned completely on her back and wrapped her arms around broad shoulders. White, mesh cloth was pulled to the side as she felt a familiar, stiff girth fill her moistness inch by inch.

She bucked up her hips to speed up the process, but he ground her hips down and pinned her hands beside both sides of her head.

He bent his head down and started a slow kiss against her lips. The took breaths only to whisper apologies in multiple languages and dialects next to her ear.

She started to object when he began to withdraw leisurely only to break his kiss to scream out from a sudden thrust.

Pulling out slowly again she lamented the loss of fulfillment until she felt herself stretched again suddenly.

Moans, gasps, and groans filled the room as the sheets became damp.

Okoye's nails scraped his shoulder blades, and he felt a familiar tightening. W'Kabi reached down between them until he felt her body shiver uncontrollably.

He buried his scream into her neck as he let go.

Heavy breathing and the rustling of covers accompanied the symphony of crickets and birds for a while until W'Kabi finally spoke.

"So, am I forgiven?"

Okoye stared at him and then glanced at the clock.

 _5:10 am_

She climbed on top of him and pinned his hands to the mattress. "Depends..."

"On?"

"On how loud your next apology can be." She whispered sultrily.

 _9:00 am_

M'Baku and three of his guards entered the council room. T'Challa regally sat upon his thrown in a long obsidian tunic. The Dora Milaje stood on guard in a semicircle around the room.

Two leaders appraised each other with long glances. This was it. Today would either unify Wakanda or create a larger chasm between them and the Jabari for another few centuries.

T'Challa hoped that they could come to a resolution. The Black Panther took a deep breath before approaching M'Baku. The Gorilla lord and the Panther King nodded guardedly at the other.

"Lord M'Baku."

"T'Challa."

T'Challa tried to contain a stern face, but M'Baku's refusal to give him a title reminded him that this agreement was going to be a huge mountain to scale.

It would not be easy. A smile tugged at his lips. He always enjoyed a challenge.

T'Challa gestured towards the seat closet to the throne. M'Baku confidently eased into the chair.

"I trust that our bikes were useful on your return trip to Jabariland. Would you care for some wine?" He signaled at a Dor, who twisted her spear until it became a 12 inch cylinder. She carried her weapon with her to the bar.

M'Baku "I am partial to straight vodka, actually. It keeps the mountain chill at bay."

The king nodded and motioned to the Dor. The red-clad warrior poured some Smirnoff, into a copper yule mug with ice cubes. She also decanted some imported Malbec into a spherical glass for the king as well.

Balancing the drink tray on her left palm and the spear in the other, the Dor gracefully walked into the center of the seats.

She offered the wine to her king first then the vodka to M'Baku. They sipped their spirits in silence.

T'Challa cleared his throat and sat his Malbec on the table next to him. "I trust that our hover bikes accelerated your journey back to the mountains with ease?"

M'Baku bent over and put his drink on the floor next to his left foot. He reclined back into his chair.

"We could have easily traveled on foot, but I guess your bikes were of some use."

"Hmm. Do you believe that the Jabari way of life could have _some use_ for the hover bikes? The other tribes find them to be an efficient, quick way of travel and transport. Their energy source is a self-charging vibranium batter with no CO2 emissions. Rest assured, Lord M'Baku, the mountain terrain would not be marred by the technology of these bikes, but your people's way of life would be greatly eased."

"I'll decide how useful your technology is to my people" M'baku interjected forcefully. "The bikes were fast. I'll give you that, and these Kimoye beads are useful, but it is what you want in return that is my main focus for our talks today. So, I'll ask. What is it that you want us to trade for access to Wakanda's technology?"

T'Challa leveled with M'Baku.

"An exchange."

M'Baku scrunched up his face. "An exchange of what exactly? What could you possibly want from the Jabari except a bended knee, which we, I, will never do."

"I am not a colonizer, Lord M'Baku, and I ceased believing that you or the next few Jabari leaders would ever call me or my successors your King ever since Challenge day. Nonetheless, I think that an exchange of services and trade can begin to build blocks of trust between our people and help us reach toward a common goal."

M'Baku shrugged. "And what, pray tell, is our common goal, T'Challa? Your environment is a rainforest littered with technological inventions. You and your people have forsaken tradition and the roads that it has forged for centuries of our civilization. I believe in honoring our ancestors while you believe in making it seem as if they never existed."

"That is not true-!"

The Gorilla lord put his hand up for silence. Surprisingly T'Challa paused. "Let us just face facts. I am tradition and you are innovation. One cannot exist in the same realm as the other."

T'Challa gritted his teeth and then reminded himself to stay calm. Taking a few breathes in, he leaned forward.

"I believe that they can. The hover bikes you used took you to a village steeped in tradition and your men were no worse for wear! It did not erase centuries of revered rituals to ride a bike up a mountain no more than your central A/C and Heating, Lord M'Baku. I implore you, let Wakanda export hover bikes and Kimoye beads to Jabariland. After a month, I will invite you to a private banquet, just you and I, where you can express your concerns and feedback."

"In exchange for what, T'Challa? You still haven't answered the question."

"Only because you interrupted me."

M'Baku appeared peeved. T'Challa's face appeared fixed.

"Wakanda's border, our border, needs more protection. I have opened our doors to outsiders and even though it is a step in the right direction I am still weary of those who would seek to take advantage of our nation. Would you consider hiring out Jabari warriors for a couple of patrols? They would still remain your men and you would not lose your leadership over them. They will always defer to you before me."

M'Baku scratched his chin. "One Jabari warrior is the equivalent of five Wakandan soldiers, I'm sure. So hypothetically speaking, how many Jabari men would the border need?

T'Challa chuckled at the slight and leaned back on his throne. "Two hundred"

M'Baku stared out the window in thought. "For how long?"

"The duration would only be as long as your people use the hover bikes and the Kimoye beads. If the hover bikes are not complimentary to your lifestyle then we can examine another advancement for you people that is better suited."

"In short you will give us Kimoye beads and hov-her-bikes, while we give you 200 warriors for border manpower as long as we deem it so?"

"That is correct."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I think your men would do well to see what real warriors are made of…I accept your treaty on one condition."

"…?"

"Sorry, sorry! I was in a hurry. Are you okay?" Shuri bumped into someone in the hallway of the Palace. She began collecting the Kimoye boxes from the floor in the midst of apologizing profusely. A large hand entered her line of vision.

"For Agoman's sake, girl, they're just boxes. Everyting is fine."

Her heart skipped a beat.

Arm bracers covered in fur and wooden spikes sat above the hands on thick arms. These arms gingerly picked up three boxes of Kimoye beads and rose off the ground.

Shuri looked up from the ground smiling. "You're back! I mean, it's good to see you."

M'Baku returned a small smile, reached out his hand, and helped her stand. "It is good to see you, too."

Shuri fiddled with a stray braid and put it behind her ear. "It's just that I wasn't expecting you here so soon. Not that it's a problem, just, it's barely eleven o'clock. I figured you wouldn't arrive until twelve."

He handed her the boxes. Her attire made her appear …healthy? M'Baku mentally sighed. _Healthy…was that what you were really thinking?_

"Oh, these are for you actually. They're the thirteen Kimoye beads from last week. If you follow me I can get you a bag for them."

She pivoted. "No need, I have one here." He called out as he pocketed the boxes into his satchel.

She faced him again. "Oh, of course you , I.." She rocked on the balls of her feet and crossed her arms not knowing what to do with them.

 _Why did they always have the most awkward moments?_ The Gorilla lord had crossed her mind several times last week and yet now that he was here she had no idea what to say to him.

She pointed her thumb behind her. "I was just about to go get some lunch. Would you like to come?"

 _Smart idea, genius. What for? So you two can have even more awkward moments? Gah, you are so dumb for a smart girl sometimes. Floor just swallow her whole right now._

M'Baku surprised her by nodding.

They both stepped forward and bumped into each other. Shuri lost her balance and reached out frantically. _I didn't mean literally, floor! Bast, dammit!_

M'Baku reacted reflexively and underestimated his strength and Shuri's weight. M'Baku found her slender, short frame encased tighter within the circle of his muscular arms than intended.

The whiplash of M'Baku's catch had Shuri clutching at the fur around his shoulders to hang for dear life. His hand perched precariously on the small of her back, a back that currently had no clothes on due to her decision to wear a red crop top today.

Hypnotized by the "lover-esque" gesture they had stumbled into Shuri looked up to find chocolate eyes staring at her.

She really should have sex with Hakeem the other night. Maybe that's what this was: misplaced arousal. Yes! It had to be.

He had enjoyed the pleasures of the potter's daughter multiple times that night. So, why was he feeling…?

Coming out of a trance and realizing this was M'baku for Bast sake, Shuri abruptly let go and stepped back.

Pushing unwanted thoughts away for now, M'Baku slowly dropped his arms away from Shuri's waist.

Shuri desperately reached for something to say.

M'baku remained silent.

"Lunch?" she piped up.

M'Baku nodded but did not move. "Lunch."

Shuri nervously laughed and motioned for him to follow her.

Unbeknownst to them a pair of eyes were watching from behind a plant.


	7. Chapter 7

Traditionally Innovative Chp. 7

"When you asked me to lunch I thought we would eat downtown." M'Baku threw his legs over the cliff and opened his to-go box. His right leg seemed perfectly comfortable touching her own, but Shuri was trying to act like their proximity was normal.

Shuri smirked at M'baku while stirring her chicken and rice.

"Disappointed?" she mocked.

He shook his head and stabbed four chicken chunks onto his fork like a kebab. "Well, these mountains could use some more snow, but seeing as how it's under inferior management I will just have to make due."

With her fork pointed at him she fired back "Don't start! We managed to be civil the whole flight here. You can handle thirty more minutes of restraint, Lord Rebel. Keep my country's politics out of this for once."

M'Baku chuckled then speared some lemon pepper broccoli into his mouth. "Newsflash, princess, it's kind of the only reason I'm even in this part of the country."

Ignoring his comment Shuri pensively stared at his food. "-Wait a minute, why are you eating chicken?!" she screached. "You're a vegetarian, aren't you?!"

He threw his head back and laughed. With his left hand he gestured up and down his muscular torso. "Do you honestly think I got this big by eating vegetables? It was a joke! Have you ever heard one before?"

"Yes, and they were funnier than yours! Did you notice that you were the only one laughing at that joke?" She snapped in response while turning to the right to hide the blush that had risen on her cheeks.

"Ugh, you just don't recognize true talent. I'm a natural borne comedian. I could be the next Kevin Hart, if only he were taller."

Rolling her eyes the princess responded "Sure, you could."

Shuri reached to the side for her Sorrel drink. She found nothing. M'Baku reached into a plastic bag and pulled out the drink. He nudged her arm to get her attention, but did not remove the arm when she acquired her drink.

More than the nudging Shuri felt his smooth, warm skin briefly rub against hers giving her goose bumps. It was bad enough that with him so close she felt like she had three legs, but now he had taken advantage of a beverage to move his arm closer to her. What was he thinking?

M'Baku mistook her goose bumps' for the temperature. So, he untied the fur around his shoulders and wrapped them on Shuri's petite frame. If his bare arms and shoulders hadn't thrown her off, then maybe she would have noticed his kindness. But she didn't.

 _Why can't he keep his clothes on?! It's not that cold_.

"Why are you sitting so close?" she inquired.

Without missing a beat he replied "Because I want to. Am I making you uncomfortable?

" _Yes, you are actually, with your big muscles! Dammit, just spill something on me so I can have an excuse to leave!"_ she begged mentally.

"N-no, I'm fine." She lied.

M'Baku surveyed the valley with a satisfied expression. "Good. I have something to show you, but I may need your help."

Shuri looked confused "O-okay…"

"Are you done eating?"

She nodded.

"Good, then I can show you now."

He threw the remains of their lunch into the sack. M'Baku cocked his right hand a couple of inches behind Shuri and leaned closer towards her. Then he showed her his Kimoyo bracelet.

As if matters couldn't get any worse, now his entire body was so closely comfortable to her that it should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. Looking down at her, M'baku nodded towards his Kimoye beads.

"I took a video of the baby, but the beads won't let me access it for some reason."

Distracted by the thought of the baby that she'd helped have a good birth, kinda, her finger swiftly moved the beads around until she could get the right screen to pop up.

While she was so focused on getting to the video file M'baku was looking at her from the corner of his gaze.

He guessed she was pretty. She was definitely smaller and not as curvaceous as the women he had relations with, which were few. The tribe took up a lot of his time. His people were his focus, and women were a distraction. He honestly couldn't name one female friend besides Jareeb's wife that he had a platonic relationship with. His "relations", however, he could count on one hand…okay maybe three, but it was a lot less than most of his men.

Did he even have the time, nay, the skillset to attempt a real friendship with this girl? He had thought of her often. He was attracted to her, but had tried to negate it over the past two weeks.

What would pursuing this even mean for them? She wasn't just some potter's daughter-not that the potter's daughter wasn't worth the same respect, but he knew a one night stand when he had one. No lasting chemistry or connection. They would part ways and be cordial if they saw each other. Nonetheless, it wasn't fulfilling-well, it was at the time. Not the time.

The Gorilla lord doubted that she was even the "one-night stand" type of girl. Would they be able to have a working relationship that their nations depended on?

Shuri squealed as she saw a baby girl in a gorilla onesie wiggling on some furs, gurgling nonsense.

M'Baku saw Shuri practically glow over one of the many videos he had taken of the newborn baby for her.

He was terribly mistaken. She wasn't pretty at all, she was damn right beautiful.

Maybe he could erase her atheistic as a reason he shouldn't pursue this. A Jabari was fearless, but right now he acting like some pussy-ass Wakandans he knew. _W'Kabi. T'Challa. "N'Jadoku._

"What did they name her?"

"I named her." She did a double take. "You're lying. Seriously?"

"My prior tribe leader named me, too. It is our tradition."

"And the parents are just okay with this?"

He stood up and then offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her up.

"It is considered an honor."

"Spill it! The name, what is it, genius?"

"Semira."

"Fulfilled and height of heavens?" He nodded.

She smiled. It is a good name!

Then they headed towards the talon. They arrived at the door when he reached out and pulled her to his torso.

"I almost didn't make it." He said softly. "She was already pushing when I got there, but because of you, your hard work, and your machines, I was able to fulfill my sacred duty.

Shuri nodded dumbly when she found herself being led into a similar position they had been in at the palace; held in the center of his arms. A thumb and forefinger gently cradled her chin upwards towards him.

Her arms had nowhere else to go, but on his enormous biceps. No one could blame her, right? _Right? Well, she could list a few:Queen Ramonda, Nakia, Okoye…_

Her heart kicked into overdrive when he bent down almost nose to nose. Luckily, she had opted for a pair of heels today. Praise be to Bast! Didn't she have someone she was with right now, though? Harold, Hintwa, Haku, Haiku, What…what was his name? Shit! She couldn't remember right now.

"For that you have my eternal gratitude…Shuri." _Did his voice just drop an octave?_

She swallowed, but didn't move away when his right hand brought their bodies touching knees to chest.

Two sets of brown eyes locked. One pair was vulnerable. The other pair was sincere, but smoldering. Shuri felt excited being almost nose to nose with a man almost two feet above her height. The dynamic simply spoke to their power struggle. His fingers threaded their way through some of her braids to tilt her head back gently as he leaned in. His restraint on said power, though made her feel…cherished, even if only for a moment. That a man so physically and politically strong would treat her with respect aroused her.

M'Baku spoke up. "We probably shouldn't… your brother and I are walking on thin ice as it is with this treaty. You and I need to work on upgrading my people's way of life. And you probably have a million other projects in that lab of yours."

Shuri looked down and felt her heart drop and slowly the reality he described was clearing up the clouds of lust and curiosity that had been building up for about two weeks.

"…but are you okay if we try it anyway?"

Shuri's head jerked up and saw that the Jabari lord wasn't looking at her, but rather had his eyes averted just like her.

Thinking she was about to tell him off for even insinuating anything between them, the Great Gorilla was pleasantly surprised when he soft lips brushed against his, and the scent of shea butter and vanilla teased his nostrils.

What happened next started off innocently enough. A trail of kisses along a neck, some exchanges of heated gazes, gentle caresses in safe places, soft moans, and surprised gasps.

What happened next started off innocently enough. Shuri knew he was holding back on her account; and while she appreciated the thought, she didn't want control of this situation, she wanted to lose control of the situation. Again, she probably should have taken Haru's offer and then maybe she wouldn't be so sexually repressed right now. Haru, wasn't right. . ?!

M'Baku switched positions, pinning the princess against his body and her talon. His fur was forgotten as it fell to the ground from her shoulders.

What happened next started off innocently enough. M'Baku knew when she moaned that she was going to be the death of him. He might as well offer himself to T'Challa now to be filet alive. He had thought that her slender frame would be off-putting to him. He couldn't have been more wrong. Her being smaller than him was the biggest turn on he had felt in a while. She was egging him on with her responses, and if she wasn't careful they would both give in to carnal desires and taste nothing but regret in the morning.

What happened next started off innocently enough. A few back arches that consequently led to the beginnings of a pelvic rhythm, which in-turn bred a primal yearning for something deeper. A few wandering touches that neared, but did not touch intimate places. That's when M'Baku became disgusted with himself, remembering the potter's daughter he had just sated his desires on last week.

He and the potter's daughter had a clear understanding that they were using each other bodies. Shuri and he were probably exhausted, overworked, and horny. A bad combination. The tension had been building and now they both needed to take a break to establish that they shared the attraction, but neither one was ready to go that far.

. !? He was slowing down and she didn't like it at all. Why was he resting his head in the crook of her neck and not devouring it?! Damn, you, Hikory! She really needed to take care of herself more. She was starting to seem desperate, and for a bomb-ass scientist that was not going to work.

"Shuri?" He panted

"Hm?"

"I think we should stop."

 _The hell we will!_ "I don't think we should. I'm an adult, too. I can handle a one-night stand and still work with you. It's not that complicated."

M'baku shook his head as he pulled back from her" Yes, it is because I think I actually like you."

"All the more reason to go ahead and give it a go."

"I just slept with someone last week." He stated abruptly. Surely, that confession would be like cold water to her. Did cold showers work on girls, too?

"So, almost, did I. There. So what?" What did a girl have to do to get laid in Wakanda? Have a treacherous boyfriend?

M'baku was shocked. "Shuri, we barely know each other."

"Yes, believe it or not, that's part of the appeal, M'Baku. Now let's get a move-on"

"Shuri…"

"Fine, let's go. Thank you so much for caring about integrity. My body really appreciates that." She said sarcastically.

M'Baku growled. "You think I'm not feeling the same?"

Ignoring him Shuri opened the talon door. She set an autopilot course and M'Baku lumbered into the ship and sat down behind the sand table.

 _Was she really going to be mad with him that he had stopped?_

Shuri wasn't mad, honestly, she appreciated his chivalry but right now she didn't fucking need nor want it. But she would respect his wishes.

Fifteen minutes passed and she could still feel his eyes boring holes into her back. Hmph. Serves him right. Oh, well. She wasn't talking to him unless absolutely necessary. She got up to check the sand table for samples. M'baku was in the back of the ship. Good. He could stay there until they landed.

The talon landed and she headed straight to her room without even saying goodbye to the lord rebel. He wouldn't give her what she wanted; well this heretic had a technological advancement that would give her what he wouldn't.

Unlocking a compartment she pulled it out and began taking off her pants.

.Knock.

Shuri screamed into her hands and marched to the door.

Yanking it open she gritted out "What do you –" the door revealed M'Baku "…want?" she stopped short.

"You."

She pulled him into her room before the guards or worse, her family saw him.

Leading him to the bed the two began divesting each other's clothes. M'Baku tried to unhook the contraption that was her spider-web bra, but after multiple failed attempts he just ripped the hooks off. Shuri messily began activating her soundproof walls, cutting any video feeds of M'Baku near her room, and retrieving a magnum condom from her knight stand. M'Baku's attention to her chest was proving most distracting yet satisfying.

Framing both side of his face with her hands, she urged him upward before crushing his mouth to hers. The last spoken words between them were Shuri's sultry, "I want you, too."

What happened next started off…not so innocently.


	8. Chapter 8

Traditionally Innovative Chp. 8

 _A Random Thursday_

There was a lot of activity in the lab today. A sleep study was being performed on the second floor. Vegetables from the border tribe were being compared with those from provinces on the first floor. Apps were being upgraded to the network. In short, mass chaos was everywhere. Shuri didn't know whether she was coming or going.

Her Kimoye beads brightened and then dimmed. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. So, he had found time on his busy patrol to contact her, again. She was flattered. T'Challa had sent him to the border with about two hundred other men about a month ago. Shuri hadn't seen him physically. Luckily, he had gotten pretty adept at working his Kimoye beads. So, they communicated often.

She signed off on some paperwork for her assistant, and walked into her office. She turned off the visuals on her Kimoye beads, and then responded to M'Baku.

"Another call, Rebel Lord, and in the middle of the day? My, my, my. I think your soldiers are starting to get jealous. It's a wonder you have any time to supervise them. "

"Supervise what? There's nothing, but dust, thatched roof huts, and animal shit for kilometers out here. I'm bored outta of my mind. I called you, yes. So, shoot me."

"Oh, just wait for it. You haven't even gotten to the rainforest yet. I'm sure you'll have _tons_ of fun there."

"If it breaks up this monotony then I would be grateful. What are you up to today in your house of horrors, mad scientist?"

She sighed. "I wish I had the time to be bored, really I do, but T'Challa and Nakia brought back a lot of ideas from Oakland. Ideas that they want to introduce, but have no idea how challenging they are to produce. Typical. For once, you are right! My lab is a house of horrors today. I doubt I'll get everything done on time. My staff is already working past their limits."

"Is this a bad time?"

"No!"

"Uh-huh."

She rolled her eyes. "And yes. I can multitask for a few more minutes."

"Haruman forbid that I keep you from your work." He grumbled.

"Hey!" she snapped "You knew about this "work" long before you decided to start calling me last month. So, don't come for me like that. You know that during the day our conversations are way shorter than the other ones. Don't get upset with me because I can't give you my full attention all the time."

"What side of the straw mat did you wake up on this morning?"

Shuri growled in frustration. "Sorry. I'm just feeling overwhelmed. T'Challa has no idea the amount of time and effort it takes to give him what he wants. I didn't mean to come across so, well, cross, but I meant what I said."

"Then tell him."

"Huh?"

"Tell him that he's asking too much."

"Funny, I told you that, and yet here we are."

"Are you calling me, clingy?" He asked shock and appalled.

"No, I'm calling you bored."

"With the patrol or with you?"

"The patrol for now, but you will get bored with me later on."

"I disagree."

She responded with exasperation. "M'Baku, listen…"

"Oh, Haruman no. Are you about to go on another rant? If so, I'll end this call right now."

"Quit being ridiculous and just listen."

"I do listen to your excuses. Have been for about 42 days."

"…you've been counting?"

"It is a leader's duty to keep track of time especially in these Haruman-forsaken plains run by bitch-ass fools."

"Uh-huh."

"I want to tell your brother."

Shuri sat up straighter at her desk. "Have you lost your mind?" She hissed.

"Not like you're about to in that lab of yours."

"Stop being funny, I'm serious. No, that was part of the deal. No one else gets involved until this fizzles out."

" _This_ is not a can of that corn syrup trash you drink. I want to formally pursue this. Why are you so insecure?"

The princess gawked. "In-insecure?!"

"Yes, you are so intent on not believing my words, when I have never lied to you about the treaty or this."

"Rebel lord, there is no this. We are a passing fancy. You'll get bored or I'll get bored. The novelty of the whole forbidden lust thing will wear off, and then what?! Where will your people's treaty be because of your current actions? Start thinking with your head, please?"

"I am."

"Which one?"

He laughed. That was not the response she was trying to invoke. He was much easier to deal with when he was upset. She could distract him easier then.

"I said we could be friends-"

"I am a good friend."

Bast help her with his confidence. "Yes, you are, and I appreciate your counsel and your support. Especially last week, you have no idea."

"I could be a better man."

"You could, but then after a while the distance would become an issue. And I'm not moving to Jabariland. I've never even been to Jabari land!"

"Once."

"That was an emergency!"

"So, come again. You certainly had no problem last night." He teased.

Heat rose to her cheeks. The gorilla was good at Kimoye-sex. Who knew? "That's was crass!"

"See, this is my point about innovation. It complicates things. With tradition if you like someone you pursue them. End of story. But with your way of thinking, simple things have to be complex matters in order to deal with the world around you."

"That's what I'm saying. We operate by two different philosophies, we worship two different deities, and we are the heads of state of both of our people. Why are you trying so hard to make this work? I value you as a friend; please believe me to be sincere. You are ridiculously easy to talk to when you're not being threatening-"

"Threatening?"

"You don't snore. You not as closed minded as you would have most people believe, and for a frost gorilla you are amazingly gentle. Do you agree?"

"Don't ever use that word to describe me. I think my manhood just got depressed hearing it."

"Why do you think any type of relationship outside of friendship, especially an intimate one like you are suggesting, would be easy? It would be hell on both of us, and our families would never give us peace."

"Why are you so against this?"

"Because I have a lot to lose!"

"And I don't? What are you afraid of, Shuri?"

"Oh, and you're so fearless?!"

"I am Jabari. I've fought your four tribes, your brother, and various wild animals. I am naturally fearless."

"Modest, aren't we?"

"Come to Jabariland for a week. Make your case to my face. If you truly feel nothing then I will resign myself to accept your friendship and pressure you no more."

"You think I won't?"

"I think you lack courage, but you, Shuri of the Panther tribe, are being coward. It is most unbecoming."

"Coward?!"

"If you're going to reject me at least have the resolve to say it to my face, my real face. Until then, I will not contact you nor answer your messages. And you can forget about tonight."

"You aren't the only male in a 50-mile radius, genius! I could get anyone I wanted for that, and it would be face-to-face" Her blood was rising.

"Oh, I'm sure one of your "technological advancements" would indeed help with that. " He replied gloated.

In outrage Shuri disconnected the call and screamed into a sound-absorbing shoe sole. He had some nerve!

Beep-beep.

Shuri looked down at her blinking Kimoye beads.

It was Hakeem. Sending him straight to voicemail she pressed the reject button. Canceling her entire schedule for the day, Shuri decided she was done with the men in her life for the next 24 hours. For the rest of the day she was going shopping. T'Challa's Oakland projects would just have to wait.

 _2 weeks later…_

The frosty air on his face felt like home. After a week of absolute boredom and sexual frustration, he was back in Jabariland. The Wakandans were adequate in their patrols and not too many fights broke out between the two camps of men. It had been taxing to say the least, but here in the mountains he could find respite.

Walking up the steps to Haruman's temple, M'Baku found himself in the one place he hadn't visited since T'Challa washed up on his shore. He had needed some advice on how to handle his rival. His honor had been at stake. He had wanted to let the whelp die, but recalling how his life had been spared at Warrior Falls he found he could not live with himself if he did not at least try to help the tyrant.

So he had turned to the priest that had taken care of the temple for almost three quarters of a century. He had not liked the rebuttals and the rebukes of his spiritual leader, but he had heeded them. Where it not for his caution, he never would have been a position to be close to her like he was now. A closeness he was finding difficult to imagine being without in such a short amount of time. Odd. He had made a promise to her and now he feared he would not be able to keep it. This troubled him greatly, and so he was here.

"M'Baku, what a surprise!" A 87-year old priest covered in white gorilla fur and amulets ambled down the pathway to meet his leader.

"Praise be to Haruman, elder. I seek advice."

"Come and sit, young M'Baku. Tell me how may I ease your thoughts?"

"I fear that I may go back on a word given."

"Does this concern that young lady that you left in your bed this morning to come see me?"

M'Baku rubbed his neck and blushed. "Perhaps."

The priest chuckled. "It's always about a woman, isn't it? What did you do?"

"I made a deal and yet now that the time has come for the payment, I find myself reluctant to fulfill my vow."

The priest nodded for M'Baku to continue. M'Baku walked to a Haruman statue and placed all his weight on it before filling in the details to the priest.

"…I can't give her what she wants. Not now."

"You knew the consequences of your actions when you made this deal, yes? My lord, you must stay true to your word. Did the lady fulfill her end of the bargain?"

"Yes, but-"

"But. .tsk. But is an excuse. You are not a man of excuses M'baku. You are a lord. An honorable lord of the Jabari tribe. I will ask you again. Did the lady fulfill her end of the bargain?"

He swallowed and looked away. "Yes."

"Then you must complete your end of it as well. Do not lessen her value by cheating her. I am sorry, young lord, really I am, but I was not called to be the priest of this temple simply to give you the answers that you want. If a bargain was made then you must honor it!"

Saying nothing, but feeling everything. M'Baku nodded, bowed, turned around, and walked out of the temple.

The priest watched M'Baku leave with a heavy heart.

 _Back at M'Baku's hut…_

Shuri reached out from behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest littering kisses along his shoulder. His back felt nothing but bare skin and thin sheets.

"Where did you?" She asked softly.

He didn't respond, but placed one hand on top of hers, intertwining their fingers.

Shuri looked at him from the side, but M'Baku's eyes stayed on the fireplace in front of them. Judging his expression and his silence Shuri tiredly sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She whispered.

He shook his head still not looking at her. He gently kissed each knuckle of her hand before leaving the bedroom.

"Stay." She quietly begged.

He turned his head halfway, but not enough to fully look at her." His voice was thick with emotion

"Why?"

Getting off the bed she wrapped the sheet around her and walked over to stand in front of him.

"I don't wanna argue anymore. I'm tired of arguing my points to you. So, this is the last time that I'll say this. We will still be friends. We will still talk. My face will still light up when I see you, and I will never forget about _this_ and what we could have been."

"But?" he hinted hoarsely.

"But it's like you said "you are tradition and I am innovation."" The two often war with each other with seemingly no solution in sight. We would do the same. You are a good man, M'baku." She took his face in her hands when he tried to look away.

The gorilla lord bit back any bitter remarks he had. He wouldn't sully his honor by forcing a decision on her. He understood the rules when he played this game. He had just dangerously underestimated how stubborn she would be. Now he would have to pay the price.

"And you are right. You would make an even better life mate, but over time our values would create rifts and this friendship would lead back to the hate that it started with."

"I never hated you." He replied quickly.

She smiled. "No, just my inventions, my god, and every other core value that I hold dear."

"If I were Wakandan would you still have said no?"

She led him back to the bed. He followed reluctantly.

Lying on his back he stared at the ceiling as Shuri put her head on his shoulder and drew imaginary symbols over his chest.

"If you were Wakandan then you wouldn't be you…and that's not the man that I have come to…care for in these past two months."

"Care for? Not what you screamed out last night, but hey-semantics, right?"

She slapped his chest.

"Ouch!"

"Rudeness!"

It was quiet for a while until M'Baku finally spoke.

"You are right."

"What?" Shuri asked hopefully.

"We would fight about everything…eventually. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, or next month. Hell, maybe not even next year, but we are…different enough to have constant friction. Bad friction. "

"Too different to be life mates, but different enough to be close friends." She piped up.

"I could come to…care for you as a man, as a husband, but…"

"But?" she encouraged, finally happy that he saw what she had seen a few months ago.

"I guess I can care for you better as friend. Friends can overcome differences. Life mates are ruined by them…eventually."

Shuri wiped away a couple of tears and borrowed into his arms further. Finally after weeks of arguing they could both walk away from this "affair" with their friendship and dignity intact. Praise be to Bast and Harumon.

Clearing her throat she spoke up "I'm sure in my next life I will find you. I'll even pray to Haruman to make us more compatible. Maybe I'll even be born a Jabari next time."

M'Baku's closed his eyes as he wrapped his left arm around her for the last time as a lover. "Haruman would not be so cruel."

He smiled when she hit him this time, but inside he was hoping that she was right.

Maybe they could try again in the next life.

But he would always love her in this one, even if she gave her heart to another.


End file.
